Nine Saddar shops robbed

Nine shops were looted in a pre-dawn robbery at Bohri Bazaar in Saddar on Wednesday. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Omer Shahid Hamid of District South said that after receiving information, police cordoned off the crime scene and talked to shopkeepers. They detained and questioned a watchman of about 75 years, who was said to have been working there for several years.

The watchman told the police that in the wee hours of Wednesday, robbers pointed a pistol at him and threatened to kill him. He said they were carrying cutters with which they cut the locks of the shops and tied him up with ropes. The robbers then stole valuables and escaped.

SSP Hamid said that a total of nine shops were broken into, and Rs860,000 worth of cash and various items were stolen. He added that the market, one of the wealthiest in Karachi, had employed an elderly watchman and unfortunately had no CCTV cameras.

He said that of the nine shopkeepers, only two had left behind cash, which was around Rs500,000. From the rest of the shops, the robbers took away watches, glasses and other items. Further investigations are under way.